My one monthly goal in July.

Marie Greene launched the pattern for this year's 4-day KAL yesterday. I can tell you now that it will take me more than four days to turn this:

 

into a jumper, albeit with short sleeves.

However I do know that this will be taking a lot of my time over the next four weeks!

As this is a quilting blog I am making my one monthly goal a quilting one. 

Of the four goals I listed in June, I finished the Hemisphere quilt and assembled the 18-patch blocks into a top; the other two are still on the pile!

 

18-patch top for Do Good Stitches

I plan to add the wadding and backing to the 18-patch quilt the Comfort Circle of Do Good Stitches made in March. It would be wonderful if I also manage to quilt, label and bind it. Who knows ..?!

I'm linking this post to

 

Click on the button to see more July goals.

Sew happily!

Marly.

 

One monthly goal for April: Assemble Do Good Stitches March top

 

In March I was the Queen Bee for the Do Good Stitches' Comfort Circle. This is a European group with members in the UK and The Netherlands. My assignment for the group was to make four crumb squares with borders similar to this one

in the colours of their choice.

So far I have received blocks from five of the nine other members but I'm banking on the rest arriving in the next few days.

All the blocks so far

I expect to start adding sashing to the blocks I have now at the weekend and hope that by the 15th I have enough to lay them out satisfactorily and start sewing them together ready to donate. 

I'm linking to:

Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal

Wendy's Quilts and More for Peacock Party

 Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilts 

Click on the links above to see more works in progress.

Happy Sewing

Marly.

Crumby Squares Tutorial

 

 

This month it's my turn as Queen Bee in the Do Good Stitches Comfort Circle.

Good morning friends. This month you have the chance to use up some of your small scraps in making four squares which will finish at 7" in the quilt. 

I’d like you to use your scraps to make a 5.5” crumb square in one colour and then surround the square with a 1.5” border of one fabric in the complementary colour. You can choose to make all four squares in the same colour, or make one each of four different colours; it's up to you.

 Preparation

• So pull scraps of the same colour – different fabrics, different shades, all shapes

• Make sure you have a 1.5” strip at least 27" long (see below) of the complementary colour (the one directly opposite your first colour on the colour wheel) for the border. I prefer to use a solid or near solid for the border, giving good contrast in tone without competing with the crumb square. (For reference I've added photos of the colour wheel and how to find the complementary colour):
  
  

  

  photos: © Joan Wolfrom "3 in 1 color tool
  

  "
  

   

   

   

   
  

  
  
  

• No black or white and also no navy blue for the border please.

various fabrics but all orange

Join two pieces

 

 

Method

• Use a 0.25" seam throughout.

• Sew the scraps together (starting with an irregularly shaped piece), pressing the seams open.  

add a third


• If you're new to crumb blocks check this tutorial by Darlene Michaud: “5 Ways to start Crumb Blocks” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMtLyM352Y4

• Don’t just use strips; we don’t want a rail fence block.

• If it’s starting to look like a rail fence, then cut across it at an angle and turn one of the pieces round or keep it apart and use it in another block.

  

  and trim
  

• Keep adding and trimming until your piece is larger than 5.5" square.
  

• Select your final square, check, and CUT!
  

• Attach the border: 2 strips 1.5" x 5.5" and 2 strips 1.5 x 7.5" 
  

 

Finally trim your block to 7.5" square (5" crumb square plus a 1.25" border on each side) which will be 7" square in the finished block.
 

Good luck

Happy sewing

 

Marly.

Magic cubes and works in progress.

My magic cubes is now a top. I really didn't think at the beginning of February that this would ever happen, but working on it was my goal for February, and see here!

This wall hanging is approximately 24 inches square. The fabric is hand-dyed poplin and Moda Bella anthracite. Now it is on the pile to be quilted. 

Also finished is my contribution to the Do Good Stitches Comfort Circle; this month's queen is Charlotte . The assignment was three navy blocks with stars in two of them; difficult, when you don't have much navy, to create the necessary contrast in the patchwork. I hope these meet the requirements.

Meanwhile I will be seriously working on this fabric collage, which is my one monthly goal for March (I've already done some fabric trials),

 

and a table runner prompted by the table scraps challenge. No photos as yet, but it will be green.

 

I'm linking to:

 

 

 Click on the buttons above to see more patchwork progress.

Stay safe and healthy.

Happy sewing

Marly.

 

Two new blocks

Recently I joined Comfort Circle of Do Good Stitches. This group of quilters in The Netherlands and the UK (as far as I know - my apologies to anyone from elsewhere) work together via the Internet to make quilts for charity. The Queen Bee decides to which charity the quilt of her month will go.

This month's blocks are 12" Circle of Friends blocks and were requested by a member in the UK.

I sent my contribution to her in Liverpool yesterday.

Yesterday was the worst day ever for taking photographs: far too wet and windy to take them outside, and fearfully dark and gloomy indoors. The background is off-white low volume, and the colours are really vibrant. I think they will fit well with the other blocks now being made.

Happy Sewing

Marly.